A convicted violent offender has been found guilty of plotting to kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby.

Gavin Plumb, 37, had amassed over 10,000 images of the presenter on his phone including deepfake pornography.

He was caught after unintentionally communicating online with an undercover police officer based in the US, who flagged him to UK authorities.

Plumb had two previous convictions for attempted kidnap and false imprisonment.

In 2006 he attempted to force two female cabin crew members off a train with a fake gun and threatening note. In 2008 he attempted to tie up two teenage girls in a Woolworths stock room.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Plumb carefully planned how to abduct Willoughby from her home, take her to his residence in Harlow, Essex, and murder her in an abandoned building.

Plumb, who admitted he spent “99.9%” of his time on the internet, had denied the allegations and insisted the plot was “fantasy” and nothing more than “online chat” that he told the court was “massively regrettable”.

On thursday, a jury found him guilty of three charges: soliciting murder, encouraging or assisting the commission of kidnap, and encouraging or assisting the commission of rape.

The judge, Justice Murray, told Plumb he would be sentenced on 12 July and remanded him in custody.

Nicola Rice, a specialist prosecutor in the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Gavin Plumb is a dangerous man who plotted unspeakable violence against one of the nation’s most familiar faces. Despite his attempts to pass himself off as a harmless fantasist, the prosecution persuaded the jury that Plumb posed a very real threat.

“The chilling details of his plans were laid bare with the help of an undercover officer from the US who alerted the FBI to the threat, and the seriousness of Plumb’s scheme was exposed when the prosecution successfully applied to tell the jury about Plumb’s previous convictions.

“I hope his conviction brings some comfort to Holly Willoughby and her family and shows others that the Crown Prosecution Service will always seek the strongest possible charges against those who plot violence against women.”

Plumb had bought cable ties and a folding knife, and appeared to have sourced chloroform for his attack on Willoughby, as well as engaging in graphic and sexually motivated discussions about the planned attack online.

One of the people with whom he was communicating was an undercover police officer based in the Owatonna police department in Minnesota, who alerted UK authorities, leading to Plumb’s arrest.

Plumb shared images of Willoughby’s address and discussed “a home invasion” while wearing masks, and he discussed the layout of the property, gates, CCTV and the alley to the side.

The jury was played a voice note sent by Plumb in which he explained his “plan of action”, which included picking “outfits of hers that we like”.

Willoughby did not attend the trial and was not involved in the police investigation.

She stepped down from her role as presenter of ITV’s This Morning six days after Plumb was arrested on 4 October 2023, after 14 years on the show.